For my readers around the globe

Join all the amazing people who are following this blog!

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. I will not have access to your e-mail address.

Copyright

All images, unless otherwise indicated or in cases of public domain, are copyrighted by their respective owners and used under the Fair Use Clause of copyright law, which allows for reasonable such use with reviews and articles. Any other use may be a violation of copyright law.

Down in Buenos Aires, Maria Acuña (Rita Hayworth) is causing her two younger sisters some concern. Some big concern. Their father, Edwardo Acuña (Adolphe Menjou), wants his daughters married off in order of age, and Maria is next. Problem is, she has no interest in the prospect. But never mind. Edwardo isn’t worried, and tells his two youngest they shouldn’t be either.

He has a plan to stir Maria’s heart, a plan that soon backfires on him. He sends flowers and love letters to her, planning on finding the proper man at a later date.

Meanwhile, American dancer Bob Davis (Fred Astaire) is having some financial problems and is looking for work. Edwardo reluctantly helps the dancer, with the stipulation he pursue Maria, then disillusion her. That, he believes, will get him out of the mess he created.

He’s still holding on to his plan to find the right man for his daughter.

With a little help from unexpected sources, and never with predictable results, Bob and Maria go down the winding road of romance, with Maria’s ever-vigilant sisters keeping a watchful eye on any progress.

Rita Hayworth, Fred Astaire

Bandleader Xavier Cugat and his orchestra play themselves and perform for the exuberant dance numbers between Astaire and Hayworth, including one not-to-be-missed tribute to George “Shorty” Snowdon, a dancer at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom and professed creator of the Lindy Hop.

Other musical numbers include “I’m Old Fashioned” and “Dearly Beloved” as well as the title track, “You Were Never Lovelier.” The film received three Academy Award nominations: Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture), Music (Song), and Sound Recording. “Dearly Beloved,” the nominated song, was also one of Astaire’s biggest hit records.

Years later, Astaire was said to have called Hayworth his favorite on-screen dance partner, and at the time of their first pairing, for the 1941 movie You’ll Never Get Rich, he’s quoted as saying she was the first natural dancer he’d worked with since his sister. (This doesn’t mean he had anything bad to say about other dance partners, such as Ginger Rogers, for whom he always expressed a great deal of appreciation and admiration.)

Rita Hayworth

Politics of the day may have had an influence in choosing the locale. Roosevelt’s “Good Neighbor” policy of respect for Central and South American countries resulted in an effort by the film industry to promote positive images of their cultures and people. Of course, differentiating between one country and the other was rarely done.

You Were Never Lovelier is a charming musical, with a wonderful score, energetic cast and several twists on a predictable plot line. Fans of the Astaire/Rogers films will find much of what they appreciated there in this production as well, but it’s no imitation. It sizzles and sparkles with everything it’s got.

12 Comments

As some of you know, my classic movie reviews can now be found on their own site, “Classic for a Reason.” Here’s the latest review from that site, a wonderful musical starring Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. I hope all you classic movie fans will follow me on that site! The reviews will continue on their usual schedule, the first, third and fifth Tuesday of the month (yes, I know it’s Monday, there’s a method to my madness).

I need to watch this movie soon. I think I remember reading in one of Astaire’s biographies that he had crossed paths with Rita’s family during his days in vaudeville (performing with his sister Adele) because Rita’s family also had some sort of vaudeville act. I think I also remember reading that one of the reasons for South American-themed Hollywood movies in the 1930s was that Fascist European countries stopped allowing many Hollywood movies to be distributed — so Hollywood studios needed to build new markets for their films. Rita and Fred’s dancing is sublime in the clips I have seen on YouTube. I think I also remember reading that he and she played golf together, and she was a great golfer, too… Thank you for these great reviews.

Everything you mentioned sounded familiar to me (except playing golf, which would not surprise me). I do Rita’s parents were performers and dance teachers. Thank you for the kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed the reviews!!